title: Mild parkinsonian signs in a community-dwelling elderly population sample in Japan.
abstract: Mild parkinsonian signs (MPS) may represent the mild end of a disease spectrum that spans from normal aging to neurodegenerative diseases. We conducted a population-based study in a rural island town in western Japan, Ama-cho. Participants included 1129 subjects, aged 60 years and older, residing in the town. Participants were classified according to a modified Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (mUPDRS) score. MPS was determined to be present if any of the following conditions were met: (1) two or more mUPDRS ratings=1 [MPS-mild]; (2) one mUPDRS rating≥2; or (3) mUPDRS rest tremor rating≥1; [(2) and (3): MPS-severe]. Subjects wore a uniaxial accelerometer (Actiwatch), resulting in the measurement of actigraphic activity counts (AC). Of the 804 participants with complete data, 178 subjects (22.1%) were classified as demonstrating MPS. AC was significantly lower in the MPS-severe group compared with both the CTL and the MPS-mild groups. Diagnostic sensitivity for MPS-severe became 100% when we adopted a cutoff point of low physical activity, as measured by actigraphy, combined with the presence of subjective depression. We established the prevalence of MPS in a community-dwelling elderly population sample in Japan. Actigraphy may be a useful objective tool for screening MPS-severe.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Department of Brain and Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tottori University, Yonago, Japan. mustang@med.tottori-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Yusuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Uemura
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wada-Isoe
authors.forename: Satoko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nakashita
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakashima
mesh_terms: D056044:Actigraphy / Q000379:methods; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D020734:Parkinsonian Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires